Twins sweep doubleheader from Orioles, extend winning streak to 10 games

BALTIMORE – After Kody Clemens connected with a first-pitch changeup from Baltimore Orioles reliever Yennier Cano in the eighth inning, he stood in the batter’s box for a few moments as he watched the ball sail toward the right field wall.

“I got the pitch I was looking for,” Clemens said. “Honestly, I was just hoping it wasn’t going to hook [foul] at all. That’s really what I was looking at, and it kept going.”

With the way the Twins have played during their 10-game winning streak, all the bounces that have gone their way, nothing is stopping them.

Clemens crushed a go-ahead, three-run homer to lift the Twins to a wild 8-6 victory at Camden Yards and a sweep of their doubleheader against the Orioles. The Twins have won 10 games in a row for the ninth time in team history and just the second time since 2008.

The Twins survived a season-high four errors during their 6-3 victory in the first game of the doubleheader, aided by a go-ahead, three-run homer from Christian Vázquez.

In the second game, the Twins didn’t break when Simeon Woods Richardson gave up six runs in the third inning. Ty France (left foot contusion) sat with an injury, and Harrison Bader (left groin tightness) exited during the third inning. Bench coach Jayce Tingler replaced manager Rocco Baldelli, who departed the dugout midgame with an illness.

The Twins, who own the longest active winning streak in the majors, used all nine of their relievers during the doubleheader. The bullpen pitched 9⅓ scoreless innings.

“It’s probably the definition of a gutsy team win,” Tingler said, “with both games.”

With the Twins down by a run in the eighth inning of the second game, Willi Castro lined a leadoff single to left field. Castro stole second base, and he was granted third before the next pitch on a balk. After Royce Lewis drew a walk, Clemens blasted his second go-ahead homer of the win streak.

Carlos Correa walked along the outside of the dugout railing, slapping hands with coaches and teammates, as Clemens rounded the bases. Woods Richardson, watching from a chair in the clubhouse, jumped out and shouted, “Clementime! Clementime!”

GAME 1 BOXSCORE: Twins 6, Baltimore 3

GAME 2 BOXSCORE: Twins 8, Baltimore 6

MLB standings

“It’s unbelievable baseball that we’re playing right now,” said Castro, who hit a solo homer in the fifth inning to cut into the Twins’ deficit. “It was tough how we started, but it’s a long season. The way we’re playing right now, man, we feel like we have the team to win the division.”

The Twins, who have won 16 of their past 21 games, have been resilient throughout their winning streak. Woods Richardson lost the Twins’ four-run lead in the third inning, surrendering a grand slam to Cedric Mullins and a solo homer two pitches later to Heston Kjerstad.

Four Twins relievers yielded only three baserunners over the final five innings. Castro, playing left field, saved a potential run with a spectacular running catch when there was a runner on base in the eighth inning.

“It’s extremely important when guys have your back in the clubhouse,” said Woods Richardson, who hasn’t completed five innings in any of his past three starts and had his ERA balloon to 5.02. “I think we’re just feeding off the energy and feeding off each other. It’s really fun right now.”

In the first game, the Twins trailed by three runs when Brooks Lee opened the fourth inning with a first-pitch homer. The ball, somehow, evaded Mullins, the Orioles center fielder who seemingly always makes highlight plays against the Twins. Mullins leapt at the wall, and the ball deflected off his glove.

The fourth-inning rally continued when Correa reached on an infield single and Castro drew a walk, Vázquez, batting with two outs, lifted a curveball from Orioles starter Dean Kremer that traveled 406 feet and bounced into the Twins bullpen, closer Jhoan Duran proudly holding up the ball.

In the Twins’ past three victories, DaShawn Keirsey Jr., Vázquez and Clemens delivered the go-ahead hits. They were batting .067, .185 and .133, respectively, when they drove in the game-winning runs.

“That’s a credit to our guys for showing up,” Tingler said. “Maybe they’re not getting the at-bats, but they’re getting their early work. They are prepared. They are ready for the moment.”

Vázquez bought the Spartan-style helmet prop the Twins give their home run hitters for their dugout celebration; he found it while browsing Amazon at the start of the season, and on Wednesday he was finally allowed to put it on himself.

And, maybe fittingly, he broke it.

Chris Paddack, who placed the silver Gladiator-themed helmet on Vázquez’s head at the dugout’s entrance, saw the red-bristled top fall and improvised. He held the top above Vázquez’s head as the veteran catcher walked through the dugout high-fiving teammates.

The Twins, as they’ve done throughout their winning streak, keep finding ways to make it work.